PS4 to Sell 51 Million Units by 2016, Xbox One to Have Largest North American Install Base – IDC

The Xbox One’s success will depend Kinect being decoupled and a price cut.

Research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) recently shared a preview of its newest report with Games Industry International regarding the future of console sales. According to the film, Sony’s PlayStation 4 will have sold 51 million units worldwide 2016.

However, according to the IDC, it’s the Xbox One which will have the greatest install base in North America. This will only occur if Microsoft decides to ditch Kinect and lower the price of the console though.

“The presumed unbundling of Kinect and Xbox One, which should facilitate rough price parity between it and the PS4, should lead to a spike in Xbox One sales. Assuming the console and sensor are unbundled in 2015, IDC expects Xbox One to recover and emerge with the largest installed base of any console in North America by the end of 2016.”

The Wii U could also see “the equivalent of a $50 price cut worldwide in late 2014 or early 2015” but IDC doesn’t expect it to help the console – which has sold a disappointing 6.17 million units in its lifetime – to catch up to the PS4 and Xbox One.